A few days back, after their fifteenth failure, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were trending on social media with the hashtag old. Now, social media is a platform of outrage almost 24×7 and it is all too easy to call the latest trend “noise out of the proverbial” which the Indian cricket team management does not like to take note of.
But after five failures in six innings in South Africa, both the legends have certainly played their last Test for India for some time.
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It will be a derision if two of Hanuma Vihari’s trio, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill (recovering from a calf injury) do not make it to the playing XI for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka in February-March.
Rahane’s tally is 136 at an average of 22.66 and Pujara is even worse with 20.66 with only 124. When Chetan Sharma and his teammates pick the squad for the next Test series in India, the statistics are likely to be the final nail in the coffin.
More than anyone else, the two know that time has indeed run out for them. The Indian cricket establishment has never given two men such a long rope as it was given to Rahane and Pujara.
Over the past two years, they have been consistently unsuccessful and not successful even sporadically, when it should have been the other way around.
It seemed that the team management as well as the selectors were bent upon giving him every chance to succeed. And they’re blowing them up.
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Perhaps now stakeholders will think that this is the time to give Vihari and Iyer half the chance of failure. They can’t do anything worse than what Rahane and Pujara have done.
So what is wrong with Pujara and Rahane? This is a dual issue of technical issues which are also compounded by mental webs.
The most abused word in Indian cricket is ‘process’ and probably the favorite of most cricketers when those questions are difficult to solve.
“I trust my process,” is a catch-phrase that is often heard in Indian cricket.
But in the case of Rahane and Pujara, it can be said that this process has clearly not worked for some time.
Perhaps it is appropriate to give him a break and look at other options that will benefit Indian cricket.
These two have been getting out in the same fashion match after match but no corrective measures have been taken and at times it seems they have no clarity on how they want to play – Fearless Cricket or defensive.
In the case of Pujara, whose stroke range is very limited, the bowlers have worked to provide him with little room to play the square cut and over time, he has now missed the half-volley, which has to be duly returned. Was patted. Fielder at cover or mid off.
His dismissal method is largely the same as it has been three times since the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, he has been crammed for room with short deliveries on his rib cage and away from that awkward line. Trying to be slow.
Also, the go-slow method that worked in earlier years is not working as the batsmen around him are not scoring as many runs which is also putting him under more pressure.
Pujara’s approach and his struggle in between make the other players in the dressing room think there are monsters on the track when in reality there are none.
In Rahane’s case, the footwork is messy, as fast bowler after fast bowler on the off-stump channel is able to get him out without much effort.
As a result, he has become a running wicket and is probably apt to be dropped in the next selection meeting.
However, in Indian cricket, strange things have happened, even though Pujara and Rahane have been rubbing their eyes in disbelief in 95 and 82 Tests respectively.
If that happens, it will be an insecurity for Iyer and the Viharis, who are waiting for some protection.
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